


Keep your head up, keep your heart strong.

by orphan_account



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Minecraft, M/M, enderman!joel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-03
Updated: 2015-03-28
Packaged: 2018-03-16 02:58:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3471884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The silence was broken by the sounds of birds taking flight, shaking the trees and filling the air with cries and squawks that were even more annoying than that one human that liked to pretend he was a creeper. He would have thought nothing of it, birds were strange creatures, after all, but he heard the distinct sound of trudging feet and a dragging sword, scraping against the ground. Before he could really think of anything else to do he felt himself pop out of existence and reappear behind a tree, his long dark limbs almost looking like they belonged to the centuries old sentinel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This One's For the Lonely, the Ones Who Seek and Find

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shinju_Tori](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinju_Tori/gifts).



> Happy birthday to Tori, for whom I am writing this. Hope it's all you hoped it would be.

The grass rustled underneath him and the trees waved their branches up at the rapidly setting sun. He sat, gazing at the rich reds, purples, and blues that danced across the sky that he rarely got to see. He saw the inky blackness, a blanket dotted occasionally with little pinpricks of light, a hole in the blanket trying to make itself the night’s sun. The silver light that turned greens black and the treacherous water deep and threatening was all he had ever known, for a very long time. It had taken so long for him to brave the plains, the forests, and the deserts as early as he dared. There were still humans out there, people who would kill him just as soon as they laid eyes on him.

He got up just as the last rays of the sun disappeared and started walking. As much as he loved the rush of teleporting he treasured the few times that he could just walk, feel the grass and dirt under his feet and not have to make a single noise. The low _pop_ that came with teleporting always seemed too loud to him and the purple sparks seemed too bright. He preferred to be as silent as possible, even quieter than the creepers were when they blew up behind an unsuspecting human. He treasured the silence because it meant that he was alone, it meant that there was no need to hide, no need to be afraid of the sharp swords humans always carried or the disapproving looks of his superiors over ever move he made.

The silence was broken by the sounds of birds taking flight, shaking the trees and filling the air with cries and squawks that were even more annoying than that one human that liked to pretend he was a creeper. He would have thought nothing of it, birds were strange creatures, after all, but he heard the distinct sound of trudging feet and a dragging sword, scraping against the ground. Before he could really think of anything else to do he felt himself _pop_ out of existence and reappear behind a tree, his long dark limbs almost looking like they belonged to the centuries old sentinel.

What was a human doing here, of all places? This was deep in the forest, deeper than any human would dare to go voluntarily. It was a place infested with monsters, the trees stretching into the sky so high that he doubted even the birds could make nests in them. He felt his heart quicken as the human stopped at the tree he was hiding behind. What was the human doing? Did they know he was there? Were they going to kill him and rip out his eyes to use in their potions and magic? He heard a _thump_ as the human dropped their bag and sank to the ground, ragged breathing alerting him that no, this human was in no condition to fight him.

He slowly, carefully, edged around the tree, his curiosity getting the better of him. He saw the damaged pickaxe first, covered in dust and grime and dirt, the once sparkling diamond cracked and useless. He continued, a large bag coming into view. It was no doubt filled with precious jewels and useful metals, things ripped out of the earth without a care in the world. When his eyes finally found the human his breath hitched in his throat. He knew this one, he was sure of it. He had seen him before, talking with a group of loud, rowdy humans. He always seemed to be quieter than all the others, more reserved. He had never thought that the other humans would abandon him, especially this far into monster infested territory. He felt a spark of pity for the young man that had his back pressed against the cool wood of the tree, his eyes closed and breathing ragged. He was obviously exhausted. Before he could think about what he was doing he looped his arms underneath the man and, with a small _pop,_ they were gone and the birds slowly settled back into the branches of the towering trees.

-.-

He woke up suddenly, not on the cold ground, not with his limbs feeling like they were about to fall off, but in a pile of blankets in a small, warm room. There was no source of the light that seemed to dance across the warm wood and no fire that accounted for the pleasant heat that he was feeling, especially after the dank darkness of the mines. For a second he thought he was in Ryan’s house. The man always did have a thing for magic, maybe he had figured out some new spell. But he didn’t recognize the sounds, didn’t know the smell of the blankets. They smelled like earth and grass and thyme.

He slowly sat up, feeling the fatigue that had been dragging his limbs down and rubbing his eyes. He needed more sleep, he needed to eat before he could head home. But… where was he, exactly? Maybe Lindsay had found him and taken him to one of her old houses in the forest from before she joined the city. Maybe this was some kind of prank by Geoff or Michael. He knew he was grasping at straws, but he didn’t want to think of the alternatives. He could have been captured by a witch or something, like that old fairytale where the kids almost got thrown into an oven after eating way too much candy.

He felt eyes watching him and he turned his head, only seeing a spark of purple and a small _pop._ He shot up, searching his person for a sword, his pick, hell, he’d even settle for a _shovel._ There was an enderman in the room with him, and he didn’t know if it had agroed on him yet. He felt his hands shaking and his knees almost give out under him. Someone wrapped their arms under his own, steadying him. He saw the dark purple skin, the loose white sleeves, and he knew it was the enderman helping him. _Helping him._ It was a strange thought.

“Don’t worry,” it said, and its voice was croaked and wobbling and echoing, the same sounds that he and everyone else he knew translated into danger. But, despite that, he felt comforted. The arms were warm, there was nothing threatening about the voice. He slowly sank back down into the blankets, not quite daring to turn around. He had never seen an enderman up close and he wasn’t sure he wanted to now. “You’re safe now.”

He believed the voice, and he wasn’t quite sure why. Maybe it was because he was still alive. Not only that, but every second he seemed to be regaining energy, relaxing in the strange house that he had ended up in. He had heard storied about endermen before. None of them were very nice, most just talked about how to kill them. A sword, water, fire. Some talked about what not to do, like look at them in the eyes. Some liked to think they knew how endermen came to be. Some said they were men cursed by the Ender Dragon, men who had failed to kill the beast before, and it was said that if anyone managed to kill the dragon any endermen who had been transformed by its power would once again be human. It always sounded like a lot of crap to him.

“Who’re you?” Ray managed to ask. He didn’t like the silence, but he could still tell that the enderman was sitting behind him. There was a low, distorted noise that sounded like talking. It was the language of the endermen, and, unfortunately, he couldn’t understand it. He wasn’t Gavin, he couldn’t talk to monsters. “Sorry, I can’t understand you,” he said, surprised to find that he actually meant it.

“It’s ok,” it said, slowly, deliberately. It obviously didn’t have the best grasp on English. “My name is Joel.”

“I’m Ray.”

There was another wobbling, distorted sound from behind him. It sounded like laughing. “Like the sun?”

Ray felt his cheeks heat up even if he wasn’t really sure why. He huffed and crossed his arms. “No, like me. I didn’t ask the sun to adopt my name. Really, it should have asked.”

The enderman laughed again. No, it sounded like it was practically _hyperventilating._  Ray frowned. Should he really refer to Joel as an it? Did endermen have pronouns? Well, they were called ender _men_ so he might as well call Joel a he for now. It made the monster seem more human in his head. “You’re funny. I like you.”

“Thanks. Now would you kindly tell me where I am?” It came out harsher than he had intended and he intended and he could practically _hear_ Joel deflate at the question.

“I thought you would have been happy.”

“Not that I don’t appreciate the gesture, I really do, but waking up in a strange room is not my idea of an ideal meeting.” He felt Joel stand up.

“I’m sorry,” he said dejectedly. “I’ll get your things. I’m sorry that I scared you. I know what humans do to us. I just felt sorry for you.”

Ray blanched. “You felt _sorry_ for me?”

“Yes,” Joel said slowly, and Ray could see him standing just at the edge of his peripheral vision. “You were abandoned in the forest, you were tired, so I thought that I would help you.”

“What? I wasn’t abandoned,” he said, his face scrunching in confusion. What happened, at the mines? He tried to remember, only succeeding in bringing an image of a huge underground cavern, water and magma pouring from the walls, and the sounds of monsters from every corner. He remembered Gavin and… oh. “I got lost,” he said, covering his face with his hands. “ _God_ I’m such an idiot. How did I even survive the mines on my own?” He knew the answer well enough. It was in the form of a long broken sword and a practically broken pickaxe.

He heard Joel laughing again. Out of instinct born from hours upon hours of being part of the Lads his face shot up and he glared at the source of the ridicule. He tried to keep his mouth shut when he finally saw the monster that had, for some reason, taken him in. He was tall, as all endermen are, but he seemed even more so. His hair was inky black and sticking up everywhere, not unlike Gavin’s. He wore a loose shirt, the sleeves cinched at the wrists, and his dark figure was almost indistinguishable from the darkwood that made up the walls. For lack of a better word Ray would say he looked almost _handsome._ He didn’t look anything like the descriptions were so keen on describing them as, tall, dark, skeletal, _monstrous._ Joel practically looked like human, if it wasn’t for the glowing purple eyes that reminded him that, yes, this was what everyone called a monster. He didn’t look like a monster.

“Hang on, I’ll get you something to eat,” Joel said, and _popped_ out of the room. Ray’s eyes were flung from his host as he disappeared. He felt his heart jump a little as he came back, the sound of him teleporting still ingrained into his mind as a warning sign, a sign of danger. He calmed down and reminded himself that this was _Joel._ This wasn’t a monster. But… he always called endermen monsters. Why had he decided that this one was any different? _Well,_ his mind supplied, _he did save you._

Joel handed him a wooden bowl full of some kind of soup. He took it gratefully and, before he could contemplate the possibility of it being poisoned or tainted or anything like that it was all gone and he felt warm, happy, and energized. “Wow, what was that?”

Joel tried to look unimpressed as he said, “Mushroom stew,” but Ray could still see the grin trying to break out across his face. He held out the bag that was filled with all of the minerals Ray had collected the day before. “You might want this, too.”

“Oh, thanks, dude,” Ray said, almost feeling like they were lifelong friends. Maybe even something more. He wasn’t quite sure. Maybe it was the mushrooms. He quickly slung the bag around his shoulders and in an instant they were outside, and Ray had a terrible taste in his mouth. He wanted to vomit, but the feeling quickly passed. So that was what it was like to teleport.

Joel started walking, and Ray had to jog to keep up. “The city should be somewhere around here,” Joel mused as he kept walking. Ray’s face contorted into one of confusion.

“Why don’t you just teleport there?”

“Two reasons,” Joel said, not stopping. “One, I would get shot at, burned, or drowned before I have the chance to teleport back out.” Ray felt his face settle into a frown. He hadn’t really thought about that before. It must be really disorientating for any monster to wander into a strange place and almost immediately get attacked. It was kind of how humans felt in the mines. “And two, I like to walk.

Ray grinned. “I do, too. It’s quiet.”

Joel’s face broke into a wide smile at that, and they walked in silence for a while. It was nice. It wasn’t hectic, like with Michael and Gavin, it was awkward or scary like it was with the Gents (ok, the last one was just Ryan). It was a nice change, and Ray almost didn’t want it to end when he spotted Geoff’s giant house poking through the trees. He noticed Joel frown.

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re leaving.”

That statement was enough to floor the human. He didn’t know how to respond to it other than with a, “Yeah. I have to go home.”

“I’ll miss you.”

Ray swallowed hard. “I’ll miss you too.”

Joel continued, almost like he hadn’t heard his reply. “You’re the first human to… well, not to run away, not to try to kill me. You’re the first person to actually _talk_ to me. The others… I don’t think they like me. I spend too much time with my head in the clouds, looking at the sun,” he sighed. “I’ll miss you,” he finally finished.

“You know,” Ray said, a smile forming. “You can always visit. Or I could visit you. Either way, this doesn’t have to be goodbye. It would be kind of lame, honestly.”

Joel almost looked ecstatic. “Really?” Ray nodded. He was crushed in a hug by the enderman as Joel started talking rapidly in his native language. Ray laughed and pushed away, putting a faux professional look on his face.

He stuck out his hand stiffly. “Stay gold, Ponyboy.”

“What?” Joel asked, confused. Ray just shook his head as he took his hand.

“Don’t worry about it.” He walked towards away from his new friend, throwing over his shoulder, “See you later, Joel.”

He didn’t turn to see, but he knew the enderman was smiling. “Yeah, see you later, Ray.”


	2. Only to be Let Down, Time After Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to continue this. It's probably only going to be three chapters, but I hope you all enjoy. As always, if you liked it feel free to tell me why.

When he got back to the city Ryan was the first one to see him. Ray was immensely thankful that he didn’t start to shout or to freak out. Ryan wasn’t the calmest member of their group, but there was something to be said about how he handled most surprises. Usually he would laugh and shrug it off, but if the offence was something worse he would make it  _abundantly_ clear that the next time the culprit was alone they would get the worst surprise of their life. Ray was glad he didn’t freak out the second he saw him enter the city. He did, however, give him the most intense death glare he had ever seen from the man and marched up to him, hitting him hard on the head with a pickaxe. Ray rubbed his head and grinned sheepishly. He knew he deserved it.

Ryan took a deep breath and blew out hot air right in Ray’s face. He looked  _pissed,_ but his voice was scarily calm. “Are you  _actually_  serious, Ray?”

“Er… yeah?” Ray said nervously. He hoped the R & R connection would keep him from getting murdered, but from Ryan’s track record it was unlikely.

“You’re gone for almost two days, the only information we have about you is from  _Gavin,_ Geoff’s pulling his hair out trying to find you, and you come back with a stupid smile on your face and no injuries to be seen?” Ryan lifted the pickaxe again, a chilling grin appearing on his face. “Unless you  _want_ to have some injuries to help with the explaining?”

“Uh… no thanks.” Ray said, stepping away from Ryan. “You’re fucking weird, dude.”

He knew that the rest of the residents of the city wouldn’t be as calm as Ryan was, but he could hope. Maybe he could ask Ryan to spread the word instead of him having to brave being yelled at by everyone. Ray winced when he heard a shout come from across the city. Maybe he would just have to endure a day of shouting. “RAY! YOU FUCK!” He braced himself for Michael to tackle him, and the man only succeeded in giving him what equated to a bear hug with a punch in the face. “WHERE. THE. HELL. HAVE. YOU. BEEN?”

Ray laughed nervously. He considered telling them what happened, but for some reason he heard himself say, “Oh, you have no idea.” Maybe it was a good thing. He had no idea how they would react to him saying that he’d spent a day with an enderman. They’d probably call him a liar and demand a different explanation.

Michael glared at him. “Yeah, no shit we have no idea. We’ve all been worried sick! We thought you were killed by an enderman or something.” That made Ray laugh. “Don’t laugh, asshole. This is serious. Geoff’s gonna kick your ass.”

-.-

As soon as the sun set he snuck out of his house, careful not to let anyone see him, and doubled around to the large tree off to the side of Geoff’s monolith. The wind was just barely blowing and the night seemed eerily quiet. It was a nice change, the quiet. It reminded him of Joel’s house. It wasn’t a crushing kind of silence, more like a pleasant lack of noise after a day of nothing but loud voices and angry words. Well, maybe not angry. More like aggressively relieved.

After Geoff practically having an aneurism from yelling at him for so long he had finally let him get back to put his stuff away and rest. Gavin had badgered him about what happened after he had gotten lost in the mines, but he just shrugged and said he didn’t remember. Jack had offered to make him a nice dinner since he’d probably missed a few meals, but Ray politely declined. He was still full from the stew that Joel had given him. Ryan had stared at him the entire time he had given his excuse as to where he had been (he had said that he woke up in the forest and wandered home) and he knew that Ryan didn’t quite believe him. He didn’t really care all that much, he just couldn’t wait for nightfall, when he could talk to Joel again. Everything else was secondary, in his opinion.

He sat down against the rough bark, pulling the blanket that he had brought with him around his shoulders. It wasn’t like the city was in a snow biome, but that didn’t mean it never got cold. That and he just liked having a blanket with him. The wind rustled the grass and the tree groaned and creaked. He felt someone sit next to him and he glanced sideways, seeing his friend gazing up at the stars.

He was silent for a while, and Ray enjoyed that. It was nice to just sit in silence and think, to just know that someone was beside him who was a true friend, someone who would look out for him through everything. It was weird to think of Joel like that, especially when they had only known each other for a few days, but he enjoyed it. Maybe, eventually, they would become more than just friends. His musings were cut short when Joel said, "You know, I've never seen the sun?"

"Really?" Ray asked, staring up at the sky with him. It was a wonderful mix of dark blues and blacks and slashes of purples and pinks. It was so different from the day sky. The day was bright and blue and endless. He very rarely got the chance to look at the night’s sky, and that made it special. With all the monsters it was a danger to be out at night. Right now, though, he didn’t really care about that. It looked beautiful, Ray decided. It looked alive, like a living, breathing organism that stretched itself across the sky of their planet. It wasn’t quite the bright blues and whites of daytime, but it reminded him that the world continued around him indefinitely. It made him feel small, but he didn't seem to mind it all that much. In the grand scheme of things, sure, he was small. In his life, though? He was one of the biggest things out there. He had friends, he had a life, and he could influence the small scope of the world that he saw. It didn’t really matter if someday he would be gone. Right now was what mattered.

Ray snorted at his own thought process. What had caused him to suddenly become Socrates? He shook his head and glanced over to Joel. He was staring at the sky, obviously deep in thought.

He opened his mouth, saying, "I never saw the stars until a few years ago.” Ray lifted an eyebrow at that. “The End doesn't have stars. The sky is just an empty void. I like the Overworld better. It’s so… alive."

"Yeah," Ray muttered, "Yeah, me too." His eyebrows drew together when something about Joel's sentence stuck out at him. "You lived in the End? Why?"

"I... do you know where Endermen come from, Ray?" He shook his head. He wasn’t the smartest on monster lore. That title belonged to Gavin. It was strange hearing the usually-dumb Gavin prattle on about any and all monsters that roamed the world like he knew everything there was to know about them. Maybe he did. "Well... I don't... do you promise not to... freak out?"

He looked nervous, and Ray couldn't help but lean forward and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You can tell me anything. I promise that I'll try my best to understand."

He nodded, still hesitating. Ray could tell that he really didn't want to do it, whatever it was, but he felt like he had to. They had known each other only for a few days, but he felt like they had known each other their whole lives. There was something between them that was unlike anything he had with his friends back at the city. It was strange, but refreshing. He didn’t have to keep up the persona everyone associated with him if he didn’t want to.

Joel turned away from him, facing the gap of the shadow that the tree cast and reached his hand out. Ray's eyes widened as the hand seemed to wither in the moonlight, the fingers almost looking like bones. They looked like how most books illustrated endermen. It made sense, seeing as he was one.  Joel pulled his hand back quickly, as if the light burned him. He looked at Ray guiltily. "I... I don't know how I look to you, but you never really seemed afraid of me. I couldn't really figure out why, but you can see me as I was... as a... a human."

Ray wasn’t quite sure how to process the information, so he just sputtered for a second before spitting out, “You used to be human?” He wanted to punch himself in the face.

Joel nodded almost sadly. “Yeah. All endermen were once humans. Usually they’re cursed, by some witch or the Ender Dragon, we don’t really know.” He scratched the back of his head. “I don’t… remember anything from when I was human. I remember my name, and sometimes I see someone or someplace and I know that I know them, I just don’t know  _how.”_

“Do you want to remember?”

Joel shrugged. “No, not really. Because if I remember then I’ll know who I left behind, what I did. I’m scared that I left behind a family or did terrible things to people. I’d rather live the rest of my life ignorant then haunted by my past. I like to think of it as a second chance.”

Ray nodded, leaning back against the tree. “So, basically what you’re saying is that if any of the guys back at the city saw you they’d see you as a monster?” He didn’t really think about his comment before it passed his lips, but apparently it bothered Joel just a little too much.

Joel glanced sideways at him. Ray couldn’t quite read the expression on his face. “I  _am_  a monster, Ray. That’s what endermen are, right? Monsters?”

“I- what?” Ray stuttered out. He was completely unprepared for that remark. “I- I mean technically, I guess? But-“

“But what, Ray? I’m not human; I don’t think you’re getting that. Sure, I used to be, but I’m not anymore. Not by a long shot.”

Ray shook his head, confused. Where had that come from? He seemed just fine when he met him. “Are you ok, Joel?” He felt his heart skip a beat when he noticed the wet shine on his cheeks. “Hey, it’s alright. Why are you crying?”

“Because I never really  _cared_ before, that I wasn’t human anymore. I can’t remember anything from then, so why does it matter now?” Ray leaned over and put an arm over his shoulder, trying to comfort him. He really wasn’t used to dealing with other people’s emotions. “I went back home when you went back to your friends, and for the first time it  _bothered_ me that I didn’t remember anything. I’d lived there for years, before and after. I knew that I did, and yet it only just started to get to me. I don’t know who I was before, I don’t know what I did, I don’t know who I left. I don’t want to remember because I’m scared, but it’s eating away at me, little by little.”

Ray frowned, not knowing what he could say to help Joel. He had no idea what it was like, going through what he was experiencing. He had no idea what it was like having his entire identity striped away and leaving nothing. He supposed he could offer to help, but what could he do? The only person who knew the first thing about magic was Ryan. He leaned over and wrapped both arms tightly around Joel, not saying anything. He didn’t really have anything to say, anyways.

They stayed like that for a while, before the sun started to rise. Ray woke up, not even aware that he had been asleep, to the sound of Michael yelling at him. “What the hell are you doing out here? You have a fucking bed to sleep in, asshole.”

Ray felt his heart skip a beat as he glanced next to him, seeing nothing but trampled grass. Joel must have left earlier that night. He wondered if Michael had seen him. He hoped he hadn’t. Ray stuttered, trying to think of an excuse. “I- uh… just wanted to spend some time outside. It was a nice night.”

“Mhmm, sure you did. What the hell is this, then?” Michael held up what looked like a shoe, and Ray knew immediately who it belonged to. He wanted to punch that damned enderman the next time he saw him.

He heard himself mutter, “Like goddamned Cinderella.” Michael raised an eyebrow.

“So you have a new friend? Is that how you managed to survive alone for those days you were missing?”

Ray stood up, feeling the blanket fall off of him. He attempted to grab the shoe out of Michael’s hand, only for him to dance back and cross his arms. “Michael, give it back! It’s not yours!”

“Yeah, well, it’s not yours either, so who’s is it?”

Ray let his hands fall and sighed in defeat. “You have to promise not to tell, Geoff, ok?” Michael nodded, but Ray knew that he wasn’t going to keep his word. He continued on anyways. “I met someone, his name’s Joel. He… he probably saved my life, honestly, and now I want to help him. I need to go talk to Ryan.”

Michael shook his head. “I should have known you’d get a boyfriend while everyone’s worrying about you and then not tell them where you’ve been for the past two days,” he remarked while following Ray to Ryan’s house. He just ignored Michael’s comment, but he felt his face heat up a bit from the comment.

He knocked on the door to Ryan’s house, and he answered it almost immediately. “Yes, hello, what do you want, Ray?”

He took a deep breath. It was now or never, because if he chickened out he would never be able to work up the courage to ask again. “How much do you know about breaking curses?”


	3. This One's for the Torn Down, the Experts at the Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might end up being longer than 3 chapters...

Ryan leaned back, seeming to think over Ray’s request. He knew for a fact that Ryan had experiece with curses, that he could break them given enough insentive. That was why Ray had gone to him. He had the most magical expertise out of all of them. He was Joel's best bet. He looked like he was actually going to agree to it. Ray just hoped he didn’t ask who it was for with Michael still in the room. Ryan may be accepting of most things, but Michael certainly was not. “I’ll need something of… what did you say his name was? Joel?” Ray nodded.

“Yeah, that’s right. I… I have this,” he said, holding up the shoe that he had left behind, suddenly thankful that he had forgotten it. Ryan’s eyes gleamed and his face broke out into a huge grin. He quickly snatched it away, examining it. Ray rubbed his arm, glancing at Michael. He had his arms crossed, an annoyed look on his face.

“This is perfect. What’d you say the curse was, again?” Ray glanced back at Michael again nervously, his eyes flitting back and forth between the two.  Ryan raised an eyebrow at his hesitation. “Ray,” he said slowly, and he could have sworn he saw the redstone that lined Ryan’s walls glow, “What’s his curse?”

“He’s an enderman,” Ray spat out, resisting the urge to cover his face and run away. He didn’t have the courage to see their reactions. He let out a sigh of relief when Ryan only raised an eyebrow. Michael, however, looked like he was going to lose his shit. He shuffled closer to the mage, hoping that he could somehow protect him from the red head’s wrath.

“Excuse me, Ray? Would you care to say that again? Some of us didn’t hear you.”

He cringed away from Michael, trying to dodge past him and run away, but Ryan gripped his arm. He looked back with a betrayed expression on his face. “Hey, you can’t leave just yet.” Ray gulped and faced Ryan again. He really wanted to leave, but he knew that he had to help Joel, and that meant staying in the same room as Michael for a little while longer. “What makes you think it’s a curse?”

“Because he told me it was.” Ray winced when he heard Michael let out a bark of laughter.

Ryan raised an eyebrow again. “He… told you it was.” Ray nodded. “He talks to you.” It was Ray’s turn to be confused. Was it such a weird conclusion to come to?

“Well, yeah. How else would I know his name?” Ryan just shrugged. “Look, can you… can you break the curse or not?” He shuffled awkwardly.

“Of course I can,” Ryan said immediately. Ray let out an immense sigh of relief. “But what are you going to give me in return?”

Ray really wasn’t in the mood to barter with him right now. “I’ll give you all the redstone I mined when I was out with Gavin, and the next time I’m out I’ll get you some lapis for enchanting.”

"Deal," Ryan shouted immediately, almost making Ray jump out of his skin. He practically pushed Ray and Michael out of his house. "Leave me alone for a few hours. I'll get it done."

“So,” Michael said slowly, “An enderman, huh?” He poked Ray in the chest. “I thought you had a better eye for  _human_ dudes.”

Ray felt his face heat up. “Shut the fuck up.”

-.-

By the time the sun set Ryan was pounding on Ray's door. He opened it and a bag was shoved in his face. "Here. Get him to drink this and it'll break the curse, if that's really what it is."

Ray's face broke out into a huge smile. He felt his heart soar. This was actually happening, he was actually going to help break Joel’s curse. He was going to be human again. "Thanks, Ryan." He tried to reach out for the bag but it was quickly wrenched away from his hands. Ray raised an eyebrow.

"Nope, you're not getting this until your buddy shows up. I don't trust you doing this alone, Ray. That's why I'm going to be there when you do it." Ray looked over Ryan’s outfit briefly. He had a sword and some light armor on. He obviously didn’t trust Joel as much as he did. He couldn’t exactly blame the man. After all, he had never met Joel.

"I... thanks, Ryan." He really meant it, too.

He smiled crookedly. "No problem. Now let's go, we've got a curse to break." Ray nodded eagerly, and they headed out.

-.-

He sat under the same tree that he had the night before. He wondered if Ray was going to come, after what happened. He hadn't meant to be so... bitter. Was that the right word? He had no idea. It was just hard. He hadn’t thought of his lack of memories in what seemed like forever, but it came back full force when talking to Ray. He wasn’t even sure why he had told Ray all of that. It wasn’t like he could do anything about it. He leaned back, his head hitting the bark of the tree. He only looked up when he heard someone walking towards him.

"Hey, Joel," Ray greeted. He seemed much too happy. The smile he wore threatened to break his face it was so wide. Joel couldn’t ever remember seeing him that happy. "I was worried you weren't going to show up again."

Joel chuckled nervously. "I was afraid of the same thing." Joel froze when someone walked up behind Ray. He recognized him, if only from a distance. He knew enough to know that he was a friend of Ray's. He knew he probably looked like a monster to him. He stepped back, not quite sure how to react. Ray had told one or more of his friends about him. Was that a good thing? A bad thing? Were they going to kill him then and there?

"Joel, this is Ryan. He... he can help you."

"I- what? Help me?" He asked, slowly. He didn't like the look in the guy's eyes. His gaze flitted back to Ray, trying to ignore his presence. He didn’t understand how a human, a stranger, could help him. Was he some kind of magic user? Was there any way to break his curse? Joel felt something tick inside of him as he stared at the man's eyes. It was something he hadn't felt in a long time. It was the reason people learned quickly not to look endermen in the eyes.

"He can break your curse," Ray said simply. Joel closed his eyes and pressed his hands on the sides of his head. It was great news, he knew, but right now he was dealing with something else entirely. He was dealing with the primal instincts, the fight or flight that came with his loss of humanity. Unfortunately, his had always been more of a  _fight_  instinct. "Hey, are you ok?"

"Ray," he managed to grind out, "You forgot, didn't you?"

"I- forgot what?"

"I'm an enderman, Ray. You can't look me in the eyes." He saw the blood drain from Ray's face as his eyes snapped open, the purple glow overtaking any semblance of coherency. He couldn't see, he couldn't really think. He knew what was going to happen. He only prayed that Ray had the sense to get away, or that his friend would do something before he accidently killed someone.

-.-

Ryan understood what was happening a split second before Ray did. He grabbed the collar of his shirt and flung him away from the now aggroed enderman in front of them. He loved Ray, he really did, but sometimes he was just an idiot. What kind of person just forgot the primary rule of dealing with endermen? Apparently he did.

The tall, threatening skeleton towered above him, the purple in his eyes seemingly drowning out the humanity that he had witnessed while he was talking with Ray. This wasn’t good. A hand shot out at him and Ryan drew the sword he had brought, just in case, and used it to block the attack. He jumped back as Ray got up and moved forward.

"Joel?" He asked, as if he expected an answer. Ryan resisted the urge to just club him in the back of the head and drag him back to the city. He rethought that idea since Ray, while incredibly skinny and borderline tiny, was not the easiest person to carry.

"Ray! Get the fuck back! I don't give a shit if you're his friend; you're not getting through to him with the power of goddamn friendship!" He dug into the bag he had brought. Good thing Ray had a friend like him. He had planned for something like this to happen. He pulled out a vial of the potion, but this time it was a splash potion. It would do the same job as the regular one; he just hoped that Ray would get out of the fucking way.

"Joel, come on, it's me," Ray said, and Ryan wanted to scream in frustration. He didn't seem to understand how endermen worked. In their aggroed state there was no talking, there was no understanding. As the enderman raised his arm again, Ryan had to make a split second decision. He could find Ray later. Use the other potion he made if he had to. It was a better option than standing back and letting a monster kill him.

He clutched the splash potion in his hand and threw it.

-.-

He heard the glass shatter just before Joel's arm could come into contact with him. The clothes he had on seemed to stick to him as he, too, was drenched in the potion. He grinned, seeing the purple fade from his eyes. It went even deeper, though, and soon they weren't purple, but brown. He looked human. Ryan's potion must have worked. "Hey, welcome back," he joked. Joel looked at him, a panicked expression on his face.

"What... what happened? I don't... I remember," he whispered. Ray clapped him on the shoulder. He felt himself smiling.

"You can thank Ryan for that. He broke your curse! You're human again, Joel."

He looked at Ray, hope sparkling in his eyes. A smile broke out across his face, a genuine smile that made Ray's heart soar. Suddenly his face dropped. "...Ray?" He asked, stepping away from him.

"What? What's wrong?" He saw Ryan pull out another potion, the one he had shown him earlier.

"Ray, you need to drink this," he said hurriedly.

"Why?" Something inside him shifted, and he felt a sudden terrible, wrenching panic grab hold of him. There was a spark of pain behind his eyes and suddenly he had no idea where he was or who the people staring at him were even though he knew he should. A foreign instinct grabbed hold and his vision was quickly encompassed with purple and in an instant he was gone.

-.-

"GOD DAMN IT!" Ryan shouted, filling the silent night with his booming voice. He hit himself in the head with the potion bottle, saying over and over again, "I'm so stupid, why am I such a fucking idiot?" 

Joel cautiously walked up to him, seeing no other option. "What happened?"

"I'm dumb, that's what happened." He stared at Joel, taking in his appearance. "You know, I can understand why he'd want to help you. You're not too bad looking."

Usually Joel would have blushed at that offhand comment, but he found himself more worried about Ray. "What happened?" He repeated. Ryan's expression grew grave.

"You know how zombies and skeletons are healed by potions of harming?" Joel nodded. "Well, unfortunately, a potion to break a curse can also give it. That's why I didn't want to use the splash potion."

Joel felt the blood drain from his face. "You used it, even though you knew what it would do to Ray?" He asked, his voice a dangerous whisper. He didn’t want Ray to go through what he had gone through. He  _couldn’t_ let that happen.

"It was better than letting him die!" Ryan shouted, and Joel grabbed him by the shirt collar.

"You're going to find him, and you're going to break his curse." Ryan rolled his eyes.

"You think that's not my plan? He's been my friend longer than he's been your  _boyfriend_." Ryan grabbed his sword off the ground. "You going to come back to the city and help me explain what happened?"

Joel nodded, following Ryan back to the city. He felt a pit in his stomach. He really hoped Ray was alright. He still vaguely remembered what happened when he was first cursed. It wasn't been a fun time, having all his memories ripped away from him and his entire body changed into something it wasn’t supposed to be. He just hoped that the same thing hadn't happened to Ray.

-.-

A few feet away, hidden behind a line of trees, an enderman stared at them. He had no idea who they were or exactly what they were saying, but he had recognized one word that came out of their mouths. Ray.

 _"Like the sun?"_  A voice asked him from somewhere within his shattered memories. He followed them into the city, careful to stay out of sight.


	4. Come on Friends Get Up Now, You're Not Alone At All

They walked back to the city together, and Ryan unceremoniously woke every member of the city, knocking on doors and shouting obscenities until they were all assembled in the center of the city. Most of them looked at Joel questioningly, and whenever they attempted to actually ask who he was Ryan would just tell them to wait until everyone was there. Geoff was the last one to roll out of bed, his hair still a terrible mess. "Alright, assholes, what's this about?"

Before Ryan had the chance to open his mouth Joel said from behind him, "Geoff?"

The blood seemed to drain from his face and in an instant any trace of fatigue was instantly wiped from his face. "Joel?" He whispered. "I thought- we all thought you..."

Joel gulped and rubbed the back of his neck. He shifted nervously, refusing to meet Geoff's accusing glare. He wasn't quite used to being able to stare people in the eyes quite yet. The rest of the people present just looked at each other, confused.  "Yeah, I thought I was, too. Turns out, all those people who go to fight the Ender Dragon? Not dead."

"Well then where-?"

"I got cursed, Geoff. Couldn't remember anything." He breathed in, preparing to admit to Geoff what happened. "That damned dragon turns people into endermen, Geoff. That's where they come from. I was stuck in the End for years. Even when I got out I still had no idea who you were or who I was for that matter." His eyes dropped in shame. He had left them, Geoff and Burnie and Matt, all of them. All because of some far fetched fantasy of killing a dragon. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He stiffened when he felt Geoff wrap his arms around him. He felt himself relax, the stress he’d been harboring for so long dissipating in a moment. They stood in silence for a few minutes before Michael broke the silence.

"So you're the enderman that Ray wanted to help?" He asked, nodding in approval. Joel rubbed the back of his head and nodded.

"Hey," Jack piped up, "Where is he? Ray, I mean."

Joel gulped. "He's... well, we had a little... complication with breaking my curse." He glanced at Ryan, pleading him to tell them what happened. He did.

There was a long moment of deadly silence as everyone processed what Ryan had said. "He's what?" Geoff finally asked, dangerously calm.

"He's... well, he's cursed. The same way Joel was. He probably doesn't remember anything. We can only hope that he stayed near the city."

"So we start looking for him," Gavin immediately said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

-.-

He stared at the group of humans from the corner of one of the structures they had built. There was something familiar about them all, like he knew them. The building he was hiding behind was familiar as well. It was made entirely out of dirt, a window the only opening besides the front door. _"Why's Ray's house a piece of shit_?" A voice whispered at him. There it was again. Ray. Was that his name? It seemed as good a name as anything.

He listened to the group talk, only catching one or two words. He heard his name more times than he could count. So they knew him? He wasn't sure how to feel about that. Why didn't he remember them, then? It seemed silly that he wouldn't recognize friends. Friends. How had he come to that conclusion? As far as he knew they were put to kill him just for existing. He felt panic fill him, panic like he had felt the moment he opened his eyes to the two humans staring at him like he had stolen something precious from them. They had to be out to kill him. There was no other explanation. They all carried swords, they were all human. He wasn't.

Something about that statement seemed wrong to him. He wasn't human, was he? He didn't think so, but the idea of him never being human just didn't fit. Maybe he had turned into this. Into a... a monster. Maybe that's why the humans wanted to kill him. Because he was a monster. Despite this, something made him stay around the small dirt house.

-.-

Their search had yielded nothing. Eventually they had all turned in for the night, pledging that they would continue the search the next day if they had to. It didn’t seem right to him, that they could just give up in an instant. But he was tired, and he knew everyone else was as well. Joel had been offered a place to sleep in Ray's house. "It's only right, seeing as you're his boyfriend." Joel had blushed heavily but accepted anyways. He wasn't quite ready to head back to his old house yet.

A cat had hissed at him the second he closed the door, and a wall of paintings on the far wall of the house greeted him. There was a bed and a chest, but other than that there really wasn't much. Joel sat down on the bed, taking off his shirt and pulling the blankets over him. He felt the cat hop on the bed with him, kneading its paws into his stomach. He stared at the ceiling for a while, avoiding sleep for as long as possible. This would be his first time falling asleep as a human. He wasn’t sure he was ready to face whatever nightmares his mind would throw at him. Eventually, though, Joel closed his eyes and fell into a fitful sleep.

-.-

_He felt a claw dig into his chest, the excruciating pain making him drop his sword and any hope of winning. He should have known that it was a useless quest. He should have listened to his friends. They knew more about this then he did, and yet he hadn’t listened. He had been blinded by ambition, hoping to prove himself to people who didn’t need any proof. He was one man. What could one man do against a dragon? He felt the blood pour out of him, staining the white stones red. He felt something yank his head back by the hair and suddenly he was staring at the Ender Dragon, its eyes boring into his very soul._

_He felt something hot and sharp rip through him, tearing away anything and anything that was Joel, slowly transforming him and destroying him. He couldn't fight, and he supposed it was better than dying. He had no idea what was going to happen to him, but somehow he knew that this wasn’t the end of him, not yet. A sad, hollow question came from him, one that he really didn't expect an answer to. "What are you doing to me?" He chocked as he felt his entire body change, his blood turn black. He didn't even recognize his own voice anymore; it was just a hollow, echoing noise._

_"I'm punishing you," came the reply. Then everything went black._

-.-

_He stumbled through the forest, the light too bright for him. There was no light in the End but for the purple crystals that danced at the top of obsidian pillars. He wasn't sure why he had wanted to get to the Overworld so badly. It wasn't like he'd ever been there before. But the others told him that he hadn't always been one of them, told him that at one point they had been human. They all had been. Maybe he was drawn back there because of his ties to his old life. If he hadn't always been an enderman then he had probably known people, had friends, a life. He wondered what he had done to trap himself in the End. It was probably something stupid._

_He supposed that it was all gone now, though. He was an enderman, not a human. There was nothing anyone could do about that. It was his fate. Maybe he had done something terrible that needed punishing, maybe he had been a terrible human. He didn't know, but whatever it was it was over and done with. He couldn't remember it and therefore it wasn't his problem._

_He stared up through the trees, light trickling down from the sky. There were pinpricks of light, little holes that shone through the trees. The sky was alive; it wasn't an empty void of cottony blackness that promised nothing but endless days of wandering. It was beautiful. Maybe that was why he wanted to go to the Overworld so badly. Maybe he had wanted to see the sky again._

-.-

The sun rose and he stared at it. He didn't remember ever seeing something so bright. It almost hurt to look at. He ripped his gaze away from it as one of the doors opened. Out stepped one of the humans. This one wore blacks and reds, a skirt of some kind covering parts of his legs. His top was similar to his own. He felt himself move closer, still wary of the humans. He had some kind of bag in his hand and he could hear some kind of liquid coming from inside of it. His head suddenly turned and he wondered if he had made too much noise. Their eyes met for an instant, a tiny moment, and something practically flung him away from the human before his mouth could finish the word "Ray?"

He was outside of the city, his heart pounding hard in his chest. He had felt so panicked, so terrible, like he had to get away no matter what. It had come with looking at the man's eyes. Or maybe it came from the human looking at his eyes. He had no idea. He started walking, not quite towards the city, but not quite away from it, either. He wasn't sure what to think of all those humans, clustered around the center, whispering his name and plans that they had.

He knew them, he decided, he just wasn't sure how.

-.-

"I'm telling you, I saw him," Ryan insisted. "He didn't recognize me, and I accidentally looked him in the eyes. I think all of us together scares him. We should split up, one or two people per group, to look for him."

"How do we know he's even still here?" Michael asked. "As far as we know your little stunt scared him away for good!"

Joel shook his head. "No, he'd stay where he feels is familiar. He's still here. Ryan's right, all of us together probably scares him."

Geoff nodded. "Alright, let's split up, start looking. Try not to be too loud or threatening, he doesn't remember any of us." They all nodded and dispersed, heading in different directions to try to find their wayward member.

-.-

"Ray?" A voice called, walking past where he was sitting. It was a large tree, one with a scrunched up and dirty blanket shoved between the roots. He felt himself grow still, hoping that the human would just pass him by. He heard the steps growing closer to where he was sitting, and he knew that they saw the sparks he left behind as he moved behind the tree, just far enough so they wouldn't see him.

"Ray?" The voice asked again. "I know you're there. And I know you don't remember who I am," he said slowly, and he froze. The human knew he couldn't remember? Was this some kind of trap? "But I'm going to try to help you remember. My name is Joel. You know me." He shook his head. That was just it, though. He didn't know him. He didn't know anyone. He wasn't positive that he knew himself. "Please," he pleaded, "Let me help you."

He heard the human walk around the tree again, and this time he didn't instantly run away. Maybe the human did want to help him. He heard the human suck in a breath as soon as he could see him. "Ray?" He asked, and reached forward. He stepped back, the human's face twisting into something akin to hurt and betrayal.

"I don't know you," he said, his voice echoing and distant and garbled. This wasn't his voice, but it was what it was now.

"I know you don't," the human said slowly, like he was trying to calm him down. It seemed to do the opposite.

"Why are you talking to me like that?" He asked, taking another step back. It was as if the human thought a single word would break him. "I don't know you," he whispered again, but he knew it wasn't true. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and this time he didn't pull away. He felt soft lips press onto his, and it startled him. He felt himself move away, suddenly inside of that dirt house he had seen the outside of before. A cat meowed at him, rubbing itself against his legs.

"I don't know you," he whispered at the paintings, as if that would make it true.

-.-

They took a break to eat lunch together. It was strained, since one of their members was still missing, but they tried to keep the mood light anyways. Michael and Gavin yelled at each other, Geoff laughed more then he tried to break up the fight, and Jack just shook his head and chuckled quietly. Ryan was unusually quiet and Joel didn't feel like it was his place to act like he was part of their group yet. At some level, this was all his fault. If he hadn't tried to keep contacting Ray he would never have tried to fix him and he'd never have been caught in the crossfire.

Joel stared blankly at the bowl in his hand, not quite in the mood to eat. He felt someone sit next to him and he glanced up, freezing when he processed who it was. "Ray?" All conversation died down around them. He had his head down, his hair covering his undoubtedly purple eyes, one of the reminders that he wasn't human just now, that he didn't remember any of them. Besides that he looked practically human. It was probably how he saw Joel when he was still cursed.

No one was really sure how to react to their missing member randomly showing up again. Ryan handed him a bowl, the first person to move and break everyone out of their trance. Ray took it silently, nodding his head in thanks. Geoff smiled crookedly. "So, Ray, how're things."

He shrugged, still not looking up. "Can't remember anything. Feel paranoid. Can't look people in the eyes." Joel saw everyone flinch at his voice. It was distorted and low, just like all other endermen.

"Want some introductions, then?" Jack asked kindly. Ray nodded.

"I'm Michael," Michael said loudly, clearly startling Ray. "Sorry," he said, this time quieter. "Me, you, and Gavin," he nudged Gavin when he said his name, and he shoved Michael right back. "We're the Lads. Better than those crotchety old men we call the Gents."

"Hey!" Geoff shouted indignantly. Everyone burst into laughter, even Ray, though his was much more reserved. "Well I'm Geoff, the creepy one's Ryan, the beardy one is Jack." Ray nodded.

"I... I think I know all of you, but I wasn't sure how. I was kind of scared you would try to kill me." Most of them flinched at that accusation. "But I guess I was just being paranoid. Sorry I can't remember anything."

Geoff leaned over and patted him on the back. He flinched minutely before relaxing; seemingly reminding himself that he was among friends. "Hey, it's not your fault, buddy. Besides, we've got a way to help you."

Ray glanced up, and even Joel could see the hope in his eyes. "Really? How?"

"Well," Ryan began, pulling out the potion he had made for Joel before. "I've got this. If it works the same for you as it did for Joel then it'll give you back your memories and make you human again."

Ray took the bottle carefully. "You're sure?"

"Well, to be completely honest, I have no idea. The worst it'll do is nothing. The best? It'll break the curse like it did for Joel."

Ray shrugged. It was worth a shot. He opened the bottle, putting it to his lips and drinking. He felt it burn down his throat; he felt it warm every part of his body. In a second it was gone, and he didn't feel any different. He looked at Ryan, confused. "It didn't work," he said, disappointed.

Ryan took the bottle back. "You sure?"

Ray crossed his arms. "No, I'm suddenly human again, Ryan, you just can't tell." Something about his tone of voice was different, something that everyone besides Ray seemed to notice. "I should have known it wouldn't work. Wasn't that one supposed to be for Joel specifically?"

"Uh... Ray, are you sure it didn't do anything?"

A look of realization crossed his face. His memories, while still a little broken, were slowly piecing themselves back together. He grinned, practically ecstatic. "I remember! Well, kind of anyways. I guess your potion did work, Ryan."

"Maybe," he said slowly, still staring at the bottle in his hands. For some reason, he had a _very_ bad feeling that it hadn’t worked, and that the effects were only temporary.


	5. It Comes and Goes in Waves

That night he sat on his bed, swinging his legs off the side. He stared at Joel, who was trying to make himself comfortable in the heap of blankets that was his substitute for a bed. "You know," he said slowly, "You can sleep in the bed. You're the guest."

Joel didn't turn around. "And you were cursed. I think you get the bed."

"We could... share?" He felt his face immediately burn at his suggestion. Why had he said that? God, he was like a teenage girl. Why did he have to be so embarrassing? He pulled the blanket over his face so Joel couldn't see how red it was.

"Can your bed really fit both of us?" Joel asked, and Ray dared lower the blanket a fraction. Joel looked completely serious. Well, maybe his face was a bit red as well, but he was doing a better job of hiding it than Ray was.

"Probably?" He said, and Joel stood up and dragged the blankets with him, settling himself next to Ray. Thankfully, there was plenty of room. Well, not plenty, but enough. Ray sat himself up against the wall and stared at Joel for a few seconds. It was weird, seeing him as a human. His eyes were a dark brown, not the glowing purple he had seen the first time they met. It was weird, not having to worry about a curse between them, that he didn't have to think of Joel as a monster in any regard.

"Stop staring. It's weird."

"S-sorry," Ray muttered, averting his eyes. He plucked at the blanket around his legs and mulled over what he was about to say. "What was it like? For you, I mean. Your curse."

Joel's eyes opened and he shifted in the bed to stare back at Ray. Their eyes met and something in the back of his mind shifted, something uncomfortable that he felt just should not be there. But he ignored it. He was probably just tired. "Dark. Long. Confusing. I don't really know what you want me to say." Ray just shrugged and they lapsed into silence again. "What about you?"

Ray shrugged. "Dunno. Same, I guess." He covered his face with his hands and took a deep breath. A headache was building behind his eyes and when he tried to form words nothing but a low, wobbling, and echoing sound. He shook his head and blinked rapidly, trying to get his thoughts back together. He looked at Joel and he was staring at him, concerned.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" Ray asked, just wanting to go to sleep. He didn't want to deal with the headache right now, and he didn't really want to continue their conversation.

"You know damn well what. Are you positive the curse broke, Ray?"

There was something in Joel's voice that indicated that he should know what he was talking about. Ray just shot him a confused look. "What are you talking about?" He sucked in a breath as the headache seemed to get worse. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, trying to get it to stop. But there was only a dull throbbing behind his eyes and his limbs felt like lead.

"Are you alright?" A voice asked, and he had the distinct impression that he should know who it belonged to. He tried to open his eyes, but it wouldn't work. He felt someone shake his shoulders.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just tired." He shifted a bit, laying down in the bed and felt himself slip into unconsciousness.

-.-

When he woke up the next day Ray was gone. He tried to convince himself that it was nothing, that Ray was just out with the others, that he had woken earlier than he had and gotten up to start the day. Then he remembered the dream and any semblance of calm was thrown out the window. He leapt up from the bed and ran out, seeing no one up and about around the city except for Ryan. They didn't have the best track record with each other, but he figured he was as good as anyone else.

"Oh. Hi, Joel. What's up," Ryan asked without looking up. He was rooting through a bag and pulling out small red stones. There was a potion stand bubbling next to him, three bottles hanging off of it.

"Ray's gone," he said, and Ryan almost dropped the glass bottle he had picked up.

"Is he really? You're sure?" Joel nodded. "So it didn't work."

"The potion? Since he's gone again I wouldn't assume so. You didn't think it did, right? Why didn't you do anything?" Joel was practically pulling out his hair. "Ray's gone, how the fuck are we going to find him?"

"I think we should worry about how we're going to cure him before we try to find him again. We don't know how much he remembers, and I'd rather be prepared this time if he makes a surprise appearance." He shoved a few of the red stones into his pockets and practically ran inside of his house. Joel followed close behind.

He swallowed hard, considering what to say next. Ryan was tearing through shelves full of books and potion ingredients. He looked frantic. Maybe he cared about Ray almost as much as he did. "I had a dream," he finally decided to say. Ryan slowed down a bit, glancing at him from over his shoulder.

"Yeah? Do your dreams ever come true?"

Joel shrugged. "I don't know. I don't usually remember them. But I remembered this one. And... I don't think it was my dream. I think it was Ray's."

"What was it about?" Ryan asked, his full attention now on Joel.

He told him. He told him about the dragon, the one he recognized from his earliest memories as an enderman. He told him about how he saw Ray in the dream, how the dragon had been talking to him, almost like he had been when he had been cursed. As he described it Ryan's eyebrows seemed to sink lower and lower on his face. When he was finished Ryan didn't say anything for what seemed like a long time. "I have a theory," he began.

"You mean you think... you think you can find Ray?"

Ryan shook his head. "I never said that. But I think that, with your history as an enderman, you were able to kind of... intercept Ray's dreams. But, it wasn't quite a dream, now was it? It was the Ender Dragon. You know as well as I do how powerful that dragon is." Joel nodded, remembering briefly his stay in the End. God, he hoped Ray wasn't trapped there now. "And I don't think Ray's curse broke, I think it was just suppressed by the potion I gave him. Now, my question is: why didn't that happen to you?"

"Ray said it, right? The potion was made specifically for me."

Ryan shook his head again. "Nope, it was made for your curse. I made a potion specifically to get rid of a curse like yours. Theoretically it should have worked on anyone. Well, it didn't work on Ray, but it worked on you." Ryan leaned forward a bit, and Joel leaned back. "What happened with you that didn't happen with Ray?"

"Ray got caught in the splash potion?" Joel said, and it came out as more of a question than he would have liked.

"Exactly!" Ryan shouted, and Joel felt himself jump. "Your curse didn't break, Joel, it migrated."

"To... Ray?" He asked, feeling the blood drain from his face. "Well then what the hell do we do?"

"We can't break the curse without killing the Ender Dragon, but we don't have the time or the resources to do that. We can, however, transfer it again. To... to you."

"And that'll get it out of Ray?" He asked. At this point he just wanted Ray to be safe again. He had lived with that curse for years, he could endure a few more. Ray was out there somewhere, though, and he was alone and without any kind of benefit of his memories.

"Yeah. It'll cure Ray. But it won't cure you."

Joel shook his head. "I don't give a shit about that. I gave that curse to Ray, it's only right that I can help him."

"Well then you'll be happy to know that I could probably make a long lasting spell that should let you keep your memories. No guarantees, but I'll do my best." Joel felt a sudden urge to both punch the look off of Ryan's face and hug the man for being so capable with magic that he could do something like that.

"So how do we find Ray?"

Ryan's smile fell. "Yeah, not too sure about that one."

-.-

He opened his eyes to trees. The branches swayed and danced above his head. He lay there for a while, not too sure what to do. When the sun started sinking was when he finally heaved himself up and looked around. He was in a forest. As far as he could tell, he was alone. That was good, he supposed. He took stock of himself, noting that all of his limbs were intact. His memory, however, was not. A part of him wanted to groan at that, but another part was just confused. Who was he, then? Where was he?

He didn't know how to answer any of the questions in his head so he started walking. "And two, I like to walk," a voice said somewhere in his scarily absent memories. He stumbled through the roots until he came upon what looked like a house covered in leaves and vines, lights shining through the windows. He crept closer, nudging the door open. He peeked inside and saw no one, yet it was distinctly warm and bright inside of the house. The house had a distinct smell, one of earth and grass and thyme. "Don't worry," the same voice as before said, "You're safe now."

He believed that voice, even if he couldn't quite remember who it belonged to or when it was said. He crept inside, sitting down gently on the bed that took up a good portion of the room. He stared around the room, trying to remember something, anything. The house was familiar, yet not quite home. He let himself fall backwards and close his eyes. He was tired, though he had barely done anything at all for the few hours he'd been awake. He closed his eyes and let himself drift into sleep.

-.-

It fell on Joel's shoulders to break the news to everyone else that Ray was gone. Again. "We have a plan to get him back, though," he assured everyone's stricken faces.

"I don't get it," Jack said, "I thought we solved this problem."

"Yeah, no, turns out we didn't." Ryan butted in, and Geoff looked like he wanted to punch him in the face for his carefree attitude. Joel was pretty sure Ryan was panicking on the inside. He saw how he reacted when he had told him that Ray was gone again. "I'm working on a way to... fix him. For good this time. I promise."

Geoff didn't look quite convinced. "Yeah? And what's your plan, exactly? Hunt him down, try to convince him that he knows you? We were lucky that Ray didn't fucking bolt the second he heard us shouting. I don't think we'll get that twice."

"I don't know," Ryan admitted. "But I have a feeling that we should just... wait."

"Wait. Haywood, you better have a fucking good reason why we should just wait."

"Joel said that he could kind of recognize familiar places when he was cursed. I think it's only a matter of time before Ray shows up here." Geoff crossed his arms but didn't argue any further.

-.-

He woke up to the sound of banging on the door to the house he had stumbled upon. He jerked up from where he was laying down on the bed and his first instinct was to hide. He looked around frantically, but before he could dive into the closet and shut the door he heard footsteps. He dared to look up and saw... he wasn't really sure what he saw. He looked... maybe human? The horns curling through his hair made him rethink that idea. He didn't look too threatening, so he didn't immediately run away.

"Hello," he said, and he got the distinct impression that the man knew that he had been in the house before he opened the door. "I'm Kdin."

"I'm Ray," he heard himself say before he could really process what he was saying. He blinked. That sounded right. He wasn't sure where the name had come from, though.

"I know," he said.

"You do?" Ray whispered. He knew he didn't know this man, even if he had no idea how. "I don't know you?"

"I know," he said again. "But I... I felt kinda guilty for what's happened to you. And you and your friends are fun to watch. I don't think you really deserved what happened." He grinned and clapped his hands together. "So I'm going to help you!"

"You're going to... help me?" Ray asked, taking a step back. "How do you even know that... whatever is happening to me is happening to me? I don't know you so why are you helping me."

Kdin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah... sorry, I'm kind of inadvertently responsible for your situation. I'm a dragon. Specifically an Ender dragon. And before you say anything yes, I know that I don't look like one, but I'd rather not crush this house with you inside of it."

"You're... the Ender Dragon?" He wasn't sure why, like with everything else, but he recognized that name.

"No, no, I'm not THE Ender Dragon. I'm only A Ender dragon." He rubbed his hands together. "There are plenty of dragons in the world, and a few of them come from the End. Like me. There's only one that can curse people like you've been. And, unfortunately, that means only one can break it. I doubt the Ender Dragon will, though, so your next best bet is to go back home and hope your friends can help you."

Ray blinked, not really sure how to respond. He wasn't sure if he was ecstatic to see his friends again, since he didn't really remember them, or if he just didn't trust Kdin at all. He figured he really didn't have a choice, so he only nodded. "Great!" Kdin grinned and grabbed his shoulders and with the sound of beating wings he was standing in the center of what he could only describe as a city in his head. It didn't look like a city, but that was all he could seem got call it. He turned to glance back at Kdin, only to see that he was gone.

"Ray?" A voice asked, and he stiffened as he felt someone wrap their arms around him. He cautiously returned the gesture, stiffly patting the back of the person in front of him. He saw Kdin give him a thumbs up from the shadow of a tree.

He pushed himself away from the person, drawing back just enough to see his face. A name popped into his head, one to match the man in front of him. “My name is Joel.”

"Joel?" He asked cautiously.

"You remember me?" Ray shook his head and the man visibly deflated. "Why- how are you here, then?"

He shrugged. Behind Joel someone was walking towards him. He knew this man, too. "I got help."

"From who?" Ryan asked, a bag slung over his shoulder.

Ray glanced back to where he had seen the dragon earlier, only to see it empty. "... it doesn't matter."

Ryan's eyebrow shot up but he didn't question Ray any further. He reached into the bag he was holding and pulled out what looked like some kind of necklace. "Want to get that curse off of you, Ray?" He nodded cautiously. "Well, then take this," he handed the necklace to him and he took it. "And put it on."

He complied, and the red stone set into the necklace glowed dimly. Nothing happened. "Uh... was that supposed to do something?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, but before we do anything Joel wants to tell you what's going to happen."

Ray's attention turned to the other man. "Uh, yeah, well, we can't... break the curse. We can only move it. So I figured, since it's my curse to begin with, that I should have it instead of you."

"You... you're going to take it?" He asked, gripping the warm stone around his neck. "But... what'll happen to you?"

"I'll be fine. Ryan's figured it all out," Joel said, taking a slow step towards Ray. He fought the urge to step away as he reached out and gripped the stone and took it off. As soon as the stone was gone his memories came crashing down on him in an instant and, if he could see himself, his eyes probably faded back to their normal brown.

He saw the familiar glow return to Joel's eyes, but they didn't turn confused or terrified. They stayed the same, and as the last memory settled back in its rightful place, he hugged him. "Sorry you had to take it back. I could have handled it." He mumbled, adding, "Probably," as an afterthought.

"It's ok, Ray," he replied, the same echoing returning to his voice as well. "I'm fine. I've still got all my memories. That's got to be a plus."

"Yeah," he said, "I guess so."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the last chapter for this fic. There's not much I want to do with this, but who knows. Maybe some day I'll tie it in with another minecraft au or something. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed! Thanks to all you who left kudos and commented. See you in the next fic!


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